>> this size haven't been seen in brazil in decades. the demonstrations began two weeks ago. as the protests have grown so have the grievances. many say they are fed one government corruption and poor social securities as they spend billions to prepare for the world cup. response from police led to more protests. the government issued a statement on tuesday telling protesters that their demands are being heard. >> there has been a surge in the number of citizen who is want more and have the right to more. we are facing new challenges. the people who took to the streets yesterday are asking for many citizenship, more help,

better education, better opportunities. i guarantee you my government wants more and we will get more for our people and country. >> some 40 million people have moved out of poverty into the middle class over the last decade. how did a rising power create such discontent. we have been covering the protest and here is an update. >> what we're seeing in brazil right now is unprecedented in recent memory. the last time we saw anything close to this was 1992 and that's when then president faced a wave of opposition in the streets. he was later impeached. let me show you some of the headlines here in the paperers in brazil. this is global rio saying brother civil on the streets, photographs of 100,000 people on the streets. it says protests spreading all over the country. politicians now are the target. and then finally another big

paper here says thousands of people on the streets against everything with a big photograph of some of the protesters that invaded the roof area of the national congressional building on monday. this was a protest that really started a couple of weeks ago. it's mostly a yublep youth movement. but i'm starting to see a bigger cross section of brazilian society joining in this protest movement that is really spread all over the country now. it clearly is still being fueled by the youth. they are providing the enthusiasm at the street level for this but we're going to have to see if this continues or starts to fade away or not. > joining us is academic and investigative journalist author of the book temples of the earth

bound gods. here in d.c. with a latin american analyst and author of the book game over how politics has turned the sports world upside down. since in your opinion rio perhaps the first person i should address first. what is this about? that's what most people who flnt brazil are asking right now? >> it's about a lot of things. it's about the bus fear hikes. it's about the privatization of public space, lack of emming indication, lack of public healthcare. it's about the upcoming event, the privatization of iconic public spaces, the spending of billions of dollars for hosting these mega events. and it's also about things like transparency and the fundamental

structures of brazilian democracy. what gets to the root of it is this: while we have seen a lot of material improvepls in the last ten years, we haven't seen any fundamental structural up ges and people are fed with this because their services haven't improved and they don't feel they have real democratic channels to extress mayor grievances. >> there was a pole, a remarkably quit bit of polling by the data institute. a survey of the protesters on the street. 84% of the protesters polled said they had no political preference in parties. 70% are college graduates. one quarter are current students. more than half 25 and monday was the first time they had taken part in a protest. the main reason was more than 6%

increase in public transportation. this is an earlyose topics to os moment. >> you are down at the brandenburg eight. you must of been speaking to a number of people there today. how did the go down, do you think? -- how did the speech go down, do you think? >> i spoke with a number of high school students who had the privilege of attending the speech today, and they said they were very impressed. they felt honored to be here, but they were not overwhelmed. that seems to be the general tone of the commentary i've been reading as well. i read a number of commentaries where the writer suggested that the speech simply lacked the historical weight of speeches delivered in berlin by previous u.s. presidents. >> thank you very much for your insight. for more analysis now, we have our correspondent with us in studio. do you think that the speech and the press conference before

did anything to a lady growing criticism here of the administration's record -- to allay the growing criticism here of the administration's record lex -- the it ministration's record? >> i do not think it will be typical of the reaction in the media, i dare say, tomorrow when the is analyzed. he made a lot, since, things that most germans could feel very comfortable about, like promises about climate change, about closing guantánamo, about ending the war in iraq, but the problem is we've heard these promises before. we've heard them for about five years, and people are much more skeptical about them. the atmosphere in the german media generally at the moment is one of considerable anger after the revelations about the spying program, and he did not really address that. he spoke about the fact that he was convinced that the balance between privacy rights and the need for national security was right, but that is a question of

trust, isn't it? >> how about the trust between merkel and obama? they have the cool off, and then he has the privilege of speaking at the brandenburg gate. >> i think they are both pragmatic politicians, and i do nothing personal chemistry plays probably a very big role in their political decisions -- i do not inc. personal chemistry plays a very big role. angela merkel was visibly quite peaked about a question of, -- a question obama put to her. for the gate itself, he was sitting behind her, and during her speech, which preceded his, she made a little gesture in his direction, and he misunderstood that as meaning that it was his turn to speak, and he started to get up, and it was interesting, the body language, with which she told him to sit down and wait. one could sense that there is

not a sort of warmth the between the two that there is between close friends, but as i say, i do not think that has much effect on their political relationship. >> how would you characterize the german-u.s. relationship now after obama's visit? >> i think more or less the same as before the visit. it is a businesslike relationship, a practical relationship. just a year ago, in fact, obama was asked by a journalist in washington who the most important person was in europe that he relied on, and to the surprise of many people, not least two people in london of course, he said angela merkel, and the reason is, quite simply ,, of course, and the last four years during the eurozone crisis, that germany has emerged rather reluctantly as a political as well as economic leader in europe. nobody can really do business with europe at the moment and sidestep germany. so of course, he has a good working relationship with merkel. she has a good working relationship with him. america is the only superpower

in the world. one is not going to try to sidestep america. so they have to look for common interests. >> thank you very much for that. >> well, prior to obama's speech here in berlin, russian president vladimir pugh to play down expectations of any radical reductions to its nuclear arsenal, saying that moscow cannot allow the balance of strategic deterrence to the disturbed or the effectiveness of its nuclear force to be decreased. >> obama and pugh to discuss nuclear nonproliferation when they met on the sidelines of the g-eight summit, but the russian leader cast doubts on what was actually agreed. pugh to also noted that other countries including the u.s. were continuing improve their medium-range missiles. lex the headaches do not and therefore obama. afghan president hamid karzai

has suspended negotiations with washington on a new security deal. >> karzai is outraged over u.s. plans to hold direct talks with the taliban without the president's delegates from the karzai administration. >> further undermining -- underlining the challenges to the peace process, the taliban launched a fresh attack on u.s. peace forces overnight, killing for you are soldiers. >> the view from the air shows where the taliban launched their audacious attack on the largest and most important u.s. base in afghanistan. four u.s. servicemen were killed. >> i would like to take the opportunity to express my heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of all fallen heroes. >> the attack came just hours after the u.s. and taliban announced they would open direct talks with the taliban opened a new office on tuesday.

in berlin today, president obama said he knew the path to peace would be fraught with challenges. he said the afghan government is also a key part of the process. >> the parties there have been fighting for a very long time, even before 9/11, and we do not expect that it will be easy, but we do think ultimately that we will need to see afghans talking to afghans about how they can move forward and end the cycle of violence there so they can start actually building their country. >> the taliban, for their part, pledge to keep up attacks on nato-led forces, even while pursuing talks to end what they call the foreign occupation of afghanistan. >> the swiss lower house of parliament has formally rejected a bill that would have allowed banks to settle a tax evasion dispute with the united states. >> the legislation would have made it possible for swiss banks to provide information about american clients to u.s.

authorities. currently, they cannot do so under swiss secrecy rules. the government hopes to find a solution without changing its laws. germany's number two lender, commerce bank, has announced its cutting 10% of its workforce. >> most of the positions to be cut will be right here in germany. commence bank was hit hard by the global financial crisis and was partially nationalized to keep it in business. the bank says it wants to attract one million new customers in the coming years. we have this summary of the day's trading at the frankfurt stock exchange. >> while berlin was dominated by the world's most powerful politician, markets have been waiting for the most important central banker. he's the one who decided that the value of the money come the interest rates, and u.s.

interest rates are at an historically low level. money is cheaper than ever before. this ultra-lax policy help the u.s. economy get back on track again, but markets do expect a slow and to this money flooding, and bernanke could give an important hint. the market went up and down, and the dax closed lightly lower. >> let's take a look at wednesday's numbers. the dax was down by nearly .4% at 8190 seven. the euro stoxx 50 also lower, down by more than .6 %. the dow trading lower by nearly a full percent. looks like the losses are getting lower. the fed chair has been speaking, and he said the federal reserve could begin tapering its bond

purchases and could end its program next year of economic growth remains strong. bad news for the markets there. investors do not like that, and the euro trading at this dollar at a value of $ 1.3273.

>> welcome back. returning to our top story in berlin this evening where security for president barack obama's visit is unprecedented. some have described it as berlin on lockdown, especially those people living in the downtown areas where they have to cooperate with the top security in operation there. >> they include having to present personal identification cards to gain access to the streets they live on. as familiar as berliners are to police roadblocks and security checks during state visits, this is an entirely new level. >> many berliners who set out for work this morning found their usual routes barred.

in the city center, streets were closed, and there was a massive security presence, all or barack obama's visit. like other world capitals, berlin plays host to a constant stream of visiting vip's, but security was especially tight for the u.s. president, and that made getting to work more difficult than usual. >> i got to take a massive retort. >> i've already been waiting an hour to get through the check went. i'm going to throw in the towel now and try to find another way through. >> it was announced, and they have to do what they have to do. let's see how long it takes. but the president and his family resided in this hotel. police are taking no chances with security, even keeping watch from nearby rooftops, ready to protect obama against any possible attack. since his arrival tuesday

evening, security services have placed the city at its highest alert level. the brandenburg gate was also closed off in preparation for obama's some 6000 invited guests. the u.s. president leaves later this evening, but some street closures will remain in place until the weekend. >> the u.s. is one of the most important trade partners for german businesses, but foreign investment from across the atlantic also plays a major role here in germany. >> operations provide one -- more than 750,000 jobs. >> of all foreign investors, u.s. companies are the most likely to put their money in germany. over the last five years, they've invested 840 times, either founding companies or helping with their expansion. by comparison, britain invested over 300 times, while china and france are in third and fourth place respectively.

>> if you want to sell a product in europe or in germany in particular, either to german industry or to the growing consumer market, then you have to be present here. you have to invest here. >> the mcdonald's restaurant chain has been operating in germany since 1970 one. it now employs 63,000 people here -- more than any other american company. the i.t. sector is especially popular with investors, all of by the financial sector. in third place comes in june airing. not even the eurozone's lasting financial crisis could slow investment. only last year did u.s. investment declined slightly. >> crises come and crises go. every good business man will tell you the time to buy and is not when the market is heading up, but when the market is down, so it is a great opportunity right now for american business to invest in europe.

>> it appears that u.s. firms are in agreement. according to a poll conducted by the american chamber of commerce, one in three u.s. companies in germany plans to bolster its investment and hire additional employees. >> to the middle east, and the egyptian president has appointed a radical islamist as governor of, one of the country's largest tourist destinations -- the governor of luxor. >> the new governor has ties to a militant group blamed for gunning down 58 tourists in 1997. >> in turkey, riot police have arrested dozens of people in an effort to halt weeks of antigovernment protests. >> some opposition activists have changed their tactics. >> a new form of protest has emerged -- the silent protest.

>> a new form of protest has taken hold in istanbul. it's thanks to this performance artist. he's become known as the standing man and inspired others to follow his example. some locals say they are impressed by the idea of these will refraction against a backdrop of turkey's secular founded -- the igf -- the idea of peaceful protest. >> and honesty, i did not think young people today were capable of this kind of protest. this is a massive uprising, and i think it will continue. >> some young people have remained in place for hours on end to show their dissatisfaction with the government. police have kept close watch over taksim square, but so far, officers have not tried to disperse the crowds by force. but it was a different story in the crowds overnight where

there were more clashes between protesters and police and ankara. turkish police reported that raids by security police resulted in more than 50 arrests. the prime minister has defended the tough response and use of tear gas by police, saying it was their right when demonstrators disobeyed. the governor has also threatened to send in the army. >> brazil has announced it will deploy members of its elite national force to help ensure security and five cities currently hosting the confederation cup soccer tournament. >> this comes at massive protest against him and spending cuts continue. >> once again, an army of demonstrators filling the streets, an estimated 50,000 turned out in são paulo alone on tuesday night. the protest had engulfed cities across the country. >> we are here because our country is completely corrupted everything is wrong. the health service,

unemployment, education -- everything. >> there's. -- there's fury in brazil over this corrupt government stealing from the people. >> when a small group of demonstrators tried to invade city hall, police moved in with gas, and the situation quickly escalated. protest started over in rhesus to public transport fares but quickly mushroomed. brazil's president says she welcomes peaceful protests. but she has denounced violence and vandalism. >> we strongly condemn and forbid these acts. we know as a government and society that all acts of violence and destructive, shameful, and only provoke more acts of violence. >> members of the national force are being sent to five cities, but officials insist the force will be a mediating presence and not repressive. meanwhile, some cities have announced plans to lower public transport fares, but it's far

from clear whether that will stop the protests. >> coming up, the relationship between greed and compassion -- one of the topics today at dw's global media forum. >> first, let's have a look at some other stories making the news. >> the number of refugees worldwide has risen to an 18- year high. according to a united nations commission, more than 45 million people remain displaced by war and other crises. >> at least 16 people have been killed in an assault by islamist militants on a united nations compound in the somali capital. authorities say for your foreign staff and for your local guards were killed in the gunbattle -- for foreign staff staff and for local guards were killed. lex -- >> italian fashion designers dolce and the bonner have been convicted of tax evasion. according to randy used a used

luxembourg to avoid paying taxes -- a court in a random ruled -- a court in iran ruled they use luxembourg to avoid paying taxes. barack obama and angela merkel have made economic growth a top priority, and the issue was discussed at the dw media forum. >> 2600 participants wrapped up the three-day conference by focusing on the growing default between the rich and the poor. >> hundreds of millions of people live in poverty in places such as bangladesh. basic living standards of developed countries are considered luxurious. but even these countries have some conspicuously wealthy people. this indian philosopher, living life in pursuit of riches is the wrong path to take.

>> you have to replace agreed with compassion. we have to replace the totally mad idea of limitless growth on a limited planet with the recognition of limits and living better within those limits. >> but our markets and societies that measure themselves by their wealth expansion able to recognize limits? in japan, the government is renting money in a bid to boost consumer spending and secure jobs, but it's also driving down the yen and affecting other countries. growth at the expense of neighbors and the environment is still widely regarded as acceptable. the founder of the world future council says it's a crime against future generations. >> with no environment, there will not be jobs, there will not be a market, there will not be democracy or anything because there will not be like. clearly, what we are talking about, the regeneration of our whole systems up production and

consumption is the greatest entrepreneurial opportunity, which would create enormous opportunities for jobs. >> he says that includes producing and using more renewable energies worldwide. the local media forum agreed that only an alert society can make the right decisions and that helping to do so is a great responsibility for the media. >> is always a great thing when you get so many smart people together coming up with good ideas on how to live life at her. >> absolutely. now we just have to follow those ideas. next up on the top of the hour, more news, and you can check out our stories in detail on our website. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

>> this size haven't been seen in brazil in decades. the demonstrations began two weeks ago. as the